Judi Abbot

We recently had an unusual number of school closures due to snow. That is, unusual for the Pacific Northwest… Snow days always make Finja and me a little crazy. She misses her preschool friends. I don’t get work done, don’t get my workout in. That’s why I stocked up on craft kits at the beginning of the winter. Nothing like laying out some nice things to do for the little one and having a bit of peace. Peace for 12 minutes or so… Finja can be a real girl and she likes glitter. So, when we decided to build an indoor fairy garden she was all in – as long as we could put some glitter aka “fairy dust” on it. Said, done. Well, almost. Because you know what happens when a four-year-old gets a small tube with fine glitter in her hands, right? The glitter goes – everywhere…

That’s why I really had to laugh when I held the hardcover edition of “Glitter” by Stella J. Jones, published by Tiger Tales, in my hands just a few days later. “Glitter” not only has glitter on every page, what makes it an absolute page-turner for preschool-aged girls. No, “Glitter” is just about this: Glitter getting everywhere, in every corner and cranny… But let’s start at the beginning.

Gloria is a little rhino and the heroine of this story. Gloria’s favorite color is glitter and “everything in her life has a little bit of razzle-dazzle”. While Gloria loves her glitter slippers she is convinced everyone in her neighborhood needs a little bit of glitter. Dashing away on her “glitterama-razzamatazz scooter” she leaves a little bit of glitter everywhere.

She glitters the banker, the barber, the baker, the chef and the cabinet-maker, the plumber, the drummers, the teachers… But instead of being gloriously happy, they find this glitterama rather awkward. Unfortunately scrubbing off glitter is not so easy – it goes everywhere… And it gets messy. Soon the whole town is dusted in a small cloud if Gloria’s glorious glitter. What will happen now? Unexpectedly, the whole town is “smiling, giggling, chuckling, and chortling”. “Just like the glitter that was spread all around, the happiness traveled right through the town.”

Author Stella J. Jones wrote an entertaining, humorous book that heightens the spirits and makes reading fun. “Glitter” was illustrated by Judi Abbot, who studied at art school in Milan. Her colorful graphics are not only glittery and pink, they teem with life and basically catapult you into Gloria’s town to dust you with some of Gloria’s glorious glitter. Perfect, as Gloria’s story about spreading kindness and joy is just about this: Not taking life too serious, having fun – and being cheerful. Just like glitter goes everyway, happiness spreads. So, don’t worry, be happy…

Needless to say: Finja loves “Glitter” and the razzle-dazzle on every page. We had a good laugh about our experience with the fairy-dust who still sticks between the floorboards. Although “Glitter” doesn’t seem to have a serious, deeper meaning other than being kind and sharing the joy it’s so nice to read a feel-good-book occasionally!